Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. (Eph. 2:4–5)
MANY OF US HEARD the dramatic story and saw the pictures of an unconscious five-month-old baby who was revived by his aunt’s immediate response. While traffic was halted along a busy highway, shocked motorists watched the screaming aunt pull the unresponsive child from the car and place him on the pavement, where she administered CPR. Help arrived quickly. With the skills of police and the rescue squad, the baby started to breathe and was rushed to the hospital, where he was able to recover.
There was nothing that infant could have done to save himself from the enemy of death. He would have fallen to that fierce adversary were it not for his aunt’s compassionate intervention. She breathed life into him.
We were all in a condition that is far worse than that baby’s unconsciousness; we were all dead in sin. Completely lifeless, we were unable to breathe life into our own dead souls. In today’s Scripture, the apostle Paul’s words remind us that we are spiritually alive only because of God’s great love, rich mercy, and kindness in Christ Jesus. We did absolutely nothing to earn life or merit salvation, but when we believed in Jesus Christ, we were saved by His grace. We owe God the life He’s given us, because we’ve been raised up in Jesus to live for Him.
Let’s celebrate God’s rich grace that breathed life into our lifeless souls.
Kathern Nemec lived most of her adult life in her husband’s native Argentina. Now residing in Ohio, she works in Spanish customer support and translation.
